Freeriding is an old man’s game
We had fifteen mountainboarders riding at Randwick today, and although you might not have guessed it from the stick fighting, most of them were ‘Masters’, which you can read as ‘mature’, or just plain old. There were a few youngsters, but freeriding definitely seems to appeal to the more mature gentleman. Maybe it’s all part of a nice walk in woods on a autumn afternoon. And maybe it’s not for the majority of younger riders as it involves a lot of walking, and teenagers are lazy.
Anyway, we all seemed to have a good time, and it was great to see some old faces out riding again. Tim was back after a long time out due to injury and sports cars. Jon and Sam were back after months of hiking up mountains without a board to ride back down. Beiran was out on his flexi axles. And Horse tried out the new Trampa Brakeboard and got on really well with it. The twist in the Trampa deck and easy-to-grab stopping switch go together to give you a board that is pretty much perfect for freeriding. It sticks to the rough terrain, is pretty much indestructible, not too heavy for carrying back up, and as the brake works with eight inch wheels, it’s really versatile.
Don’t know why Trampa chase after the freestyle market. MBS have that pretty much sewn up and the growing demographic is the freeriders, which, as today showed, are in the upper age bracket, smart enough to choose a board that is the right tool for the job rather than one that looks pretty, and may want a brake to give them the added safety factor (A.K.A. paying the mortgage).
Seeing this many mountainboarders out together at the beginning of the freeride season (yes, I know every season is freeride season for some of us), always gives me hope for good times ahead, and shuts up those who moan about how mountainboarding is shrinking.
For more photos of what old men get up to in the woods, check out Nathan’s Facebook Album.
I’m up in the Lake District next weekend so our next Freeride Meet is Kings Wood on the 20th Nov. And while you’re on Facebook, check out the SurfingDirt page and like our Pumpkin Peril pic because we want to win. (Befriending Surfingdirt maybe required, but that’s not a bad thing). No terms and conditions apply.